Laura van de Pol Urban Mangrove How food ecosystems can revitalise cities Hembrugstraat 340 1013 XG Amsterdam +31 (0)6 10354864 lauravdpol@hotmail.com Sustainable Architect
Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Graduation Projects 2015-2016
Architecture
Laura van de Pol Urban Mangrove How food ecosystems can revitalise cities
Inspired by the Old Amsterdam Food Tours and the book ‘Hungry City’, the ambition with this project is to create a programme with a deep connection to its location that feeds from its surrounding and is able to give back added value to the city by transforming and connecting existing flows. This vision can be seen as a sustainable pilot, demonstrating how this intervention can contribute to revitalising and reactivating the city, simply by connecting history, functions and economy that create a smart grid. The history of the city, which developed from a small village by the Amstel in the 12th century to the centre of the international trade in the Golden Age, was literally shaped by food. The old entrance of Amsterdam was the port where the latest trends, foods and goods where discovered; a place to be inspired, to discover and to meet people. The port of Amsterdam was the capital of the world. Food was visible everywhere in the city and played a major role in shaping the urban fabric. Markets were formed by or on the canals that were the veins of the city’s structure. Oxes walked into the Kalverstraat on their way to the cattle market on the Spui, vegetables were sold on the Warmoestraat, while on the Dam there was a daily fish market with the Haringpakkerssteeg as a side alley where the herring was salted to preserve it. The food imprint that Amsterdam holds, tells us that the supply, storage, transportation and consumption of food have always been of great cultural and social value. Besides the street names and facade bricks, the history and story of Amsterdam has dissapeared from our streetscape. But if we look at the patterns of streets, the canals, squares and buildings, it’s possible to discover signs of Amsterdam’s past food history. Amsterdam’s appearance is more than coffee shops, souvenir shops, sex museums and multinational corporations, which could be the impression you get from entering the city from Amsterdam Central Station. This project can contribute to changing the city’s appearance in a positive way by making a statement in terms of aesthetics, its connection to its local characteristics and the importance of food. To bring back the old function of Amsterdams harbour, Urban Mangrove is a metaphor for an ecosystem that is fed by the water. Like a living organism, it has the ability to adapt, to change form, to grow or shrink, to multiply itself and is part of a bigger network aimed at making it sustainable. The goal is to strengthen the relationship that Amsterdam had with food by reactivating the water network. In this way, the canals are reused as a form of transportation and a floating market can ‘plug in’ at any of the ‘Mangroves’ in the city. By doing this, it serves to revitalise the function of the old harbour that used to be along the Prins Hendrikkade. This covered city square is a focal point where people mingle and meet where the floating market (reused canal boats) dock onto the flexible piers. It can facilitate several scenarios, such as kiosks, an open air theatre, concerts, festivals and cinemas. These scenarios change during the course of the day and during the seasons. This ecosystem is a reaction to and platform for facilitating what the city needs today, adapting to its surroundings. The design is divided into three components: permanent (quay- brick material), temporary (roof and kiosks- modular systems - wood/bamboo material) and flexible (piers-water) as design principles. These translate into the spatial design of the public space. The roof is a unique element in the design. It consists of a modular and flexible construction method of bamboo which is able to form any shape. It is a reaction to its direct influences: the flow of traffic, people and programme. I believe that we should start seeing our cities as ecosystems as the people and our cities are contantly changing and developing. This way we root our cities with it’s surroundings and we can give ourselves the freedom and the space to react to the needs of today and tomorrow. Graduation date 11 11 2016
Commission members Jeroen van Mechelen (mentor) Gloria Font Henk de Weije
Additional members for the examination Jeroen van den Bovenkamp (constructor)
Laura van de Pol
Architecture
‘View of Amsterdam from the IJ’, 1829-1852 by N.M. Wijdoogen
Vegetable market Lijnbaansgracht
Amsterdam 1320
Amsterdam 1625 (Golden Age)
Amsterdam 1597
Amsterdam 1877 (Old harbour disappears)
tijdelijk
permanent
flexibel
concept concept concept bouwstenen
Analysis location the old harbour, Prins Hendrikkade
bouwstenen
bouwstenen
concept section
quay - permanent - stone
permanent permanent
Amsterdam Urban Mangrove network locations
modules - temporary - wood
pier - flexible - water
flexibel (wekelijks) flexibel (wekelijks tijdelijk (kwartaal) tijdelijk (kwartaal) permanent flexi tijdelijk (kwartaal)
Impression
Laura van de Pol
Image caption
Floating market
Concept organisation
Architecture
Aanzicht Oost 1:200
Aanzicht West 1:200
Aanzicht Zuid 1:200
Detail roof construction
Aanzicht Noord 1:200
Section
Doorsnede Lengte 1:200
Doorsnede B-B Dwars
Floating cinema at night
Detail foot of roof construction
Laura van de Pol
Aanzicht Oost 1:200
Aanzicht Zuid 1:200
Plan ground floor
Aanzicht Noord 1:200
Doorsnede Lengte 1:200
Section
Doorsnede B-B Dwars
Doorsnede F-F 1:200
Section IJ to Victoia Hotel
Doorsnede G-G 1:200
Aanzicht West 1:200
Amsterdam Academy of Architecture Architect, Master of Science Urbanist, Master of Science Landscape Architect, Master of Science
With the inclusion of the course in Urbanism in 1957 and Landscape Architecture in 1972, the Academy is the only architecture school in the Netherlands to bring together the three spatial design disciplines under one roof. Some 350 guest tutors are involved in teaching every year. Each of them is a practising designer or a specific expert in his or her particular subject. The three heads of department also have design practices of their own in addition to their work for the Academy. This structure yields an enormous dynamism and energy and ensures that the courses remain closely linked to the current state of the discipline. The courses consist of projects, exercises and lectures. First-year and second-year students also engage in morphological studies. Students work on their own or in small groups. The design
projects form the backbone of the syllabus. On the basis of a specific design assignment, students develop knowledge, insight and skills. The exercises are focused on training in those skills that are essential for recognising and solving design problems, such as analytical techniques, knowledge of the repertoire, the use of materials, text analysis, and writing. Many of the exercises are linked to the design projects. The morphological studies concentrate on the making of spatial objects, with the emphasis on creative process and implementation. Students experiment with materials and media forms and gain experience in converting an idea into a creation. During the periods between the terms there are workshops, study trips in the Netherlands and abroad, and other activities. This is also the preferred moment for international exchange projects. The Academy regularly invites foreign students for the workshops and recruits wellknown designers from the Netherlands and further afield as tutors. Graduates from the Academy of Architecture are entitled to the following titles: Architect, Master of Science; Urbanist, Master of Science and Landscape Architect, Master of Science.
Architecture
Architects, urbanists and landscape architects learn the profession at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture through an intensive combination of work and study. They work in small, partly interdisciplinary groups and are supervised by a select group of practising fellow professionals. There is a wide range of options within the programme so that students can put together their own trajectory and specialisation.